Attention, Budget-Watchers: 4 Canadian Alternatives to U.S. Hot Spots

It’s no secret that frugal American vacationers can stretch their budgets wherever the United States greenback is robust. One such place is, conveniently, our northern neighbor.

For the previous 12 months, the greenback has fluctuated between 1.30 and 1.36 Canadian , successfully providing a reduction of about one third to American vacationers visiting Canada, in contrast to 2010 when the currencies have been shut to parity.

Canada, in fact, has a wealth of points of interest aside from providing worth, together with loads of locations to escape the crowds in its huge three.eight million sq. miles, that are inhabited by a comparatively sparse 37 million (in contrast to roughly 329 million Americans in comparable footage).

For these looking for purchase and fewer crowds, the next locations supply potential Canadian corollaries to common websites within the United States — together with an enormous metropolis, wine area, rural retreat and mountain city.

If you want New York City, attempt Toronto

Like the biggest metropolis within the United States, Toronto, Canada’s largest, provides a wealth of cultural and culinary points of interest, however in a smaller space the place Airbnb lists private rooms at $46.

“In Toronto, you can have an intimate experience with culture on the highest level through events or exhibits that would be completely packed in other cities,” said Mia Nielsen, the director of Art Toronto, the annual international contemporary art show, which runs from Oct. 25 to 27.

In addition to cultural institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario (admission, 25 Canadian dollars or about $18.90; free for people ages 25 and under), she recommends the Power Plant (free), a contemporary art gallery, for mounting “thought-provoking and rigorous shows,” and artist-run centers, nonprofit art spaces supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, such as Mercer Union (free). She also recommends the newly expanded Museum of Contemporary Art ($10) where “Age of You,” a group show on the theme of technology’s impact on culture, will open on Sept. 5.

Between shows, hit a Syrian cafe or Chinese noodle shop. Just over half of Toronto’s population, 51 percent, is foreign born and the city counts 230 nationalities, a source of great culinary diversity.

“The prices pale in comparison to the New Yorks, San Franciscos and Chicagos of the world, but the value is there,” said Franco Stalteri who, since 2009, has been hosting periodic pop-up dinners with globally renowned chefs like Fergus Henderson called Charlie’s Burgers. “We benefit from a vast multiculturalism I’ve never seen anywhere else.”

If you like Napa Valley, try the Okanagan Valley

It’s hard to compete with Napa Valley — home to nearly 500 wineries — for excellence and variety. But in south central British Columbia, the Okanagan Valley holds its own with scenic appeal and quality quaffs. Unlike readily available Napa varietals, if you want to drink an Okanagan wine, you’ll likely need to visit; about 90 percent of British Columbian wine is consumed in the province.

Travelers flying into lakefront Kelowna, the urban center of the region, will find wineries that run the gamut from sophisticated to rustic. Among the sophisticated, Quails’ Gate overlooks the lake from the tasting room and an adjoining restaurant where a five-course, wine-paired lunch costs 79 Canadian dollars. Nearby, the informal Hatch operates in an old tractor shed (4 dollar tastings are waived with the purchase of a bottle).

Kim Gray, the Calgary-based co-founder and editor of Toque & Canoe, a Canadian travel blog, took her first trip to Prince Edward County this winter and described it as a laid-back, nature-focused retreat where city dwellers come to leave their “big city worries and stresses behind.”

Base yourself at the June Motel, a midcentury motor lodge near Picton given a makeover as a stylish 16-room motel with pink doors, bold floral wallpaper, a plant-filled lobby bar and occasional meditation sessions (rooms from 145 dollars).

In summer, the activity centers on Sandbanks Provincial Park, home to three expansive beaches for walking and swimming, and hiking trails in the dunes and the woods (admission, 12.25 dollars per vehicle).

“Lots of young families are carving out mountain-inspired lifestyles for themselves here, with Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks right at their doorstep,” Ms. Gray said.

Roughly 120 miles northwest of Kelowna, where the Columbia and Illecillewaet Rivers meet, Revelstoke is a popular winter destination, averaging 40 to 60 feet of snowfall annually. This summer, its main ski area, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, opened its Aerial Adventure Park, including a four-story high-ropes course (40 dollars). It also introduced a new mountain-biking course that will open with a top-to-bottom trail reached via the gondola and descending 5,620 vertical feet (35 dollars for a day pass; bike rentals start at 69.99 dollars).

The town backs up to Mount Revelstoke National Park (admission 7.80 dollars), offering a variety of hiking trails from a one-kilometer loop featuring First Nations art to a 10-kilometer, or 6.2-mile, summit trail that passes through wildflower-filled meadows.

Like many great ski towns, pub options abound, including the new Rumpus Beer Company and Monashe Spirits, mixing cocktails with housemade booze. Restaurant options range from the Australian-owned cafe Dose to the splurge-worthy locavore steakhouse Quartermaster Eatery in the retro Explorers Society Hotel.